Eagle

Not actually bald

The “bald” in the name comes from an older meaning of piebald — referring to the white head against a dark body — not a hairless one. Adult bald eagles develop their distinctive white head and tail at about five years of age; juveniles are mottled brown.

Recovery story

Bald eagles came perilously close to extinction in the contiguous United States in the mid-20th century, with fewer than 500 nesting pairs in the lower 48 by 1963. The cause was widespread DDT use: the pesticide accumulated in fish, then in eagles, where it disrupted calcium metabolism and produced shells too thin to survive incubation.

After DDT was banned in 1972 and the species was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1978, populations rebounded. By 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. Today there are over 300,000 individuals in the United States.

Hunting style

Bald eagles snatch fish from the water surface with their talons in a swift, low pass. They’re also capable kleptoparasites, often stealing kills from ospreys and other raptors. In winter, they congregate at salmon runs and other concentrations of food.

Nests

A bald eagle’s nest can grow to enormous size as the same pair adds to it year after year. The largest documented nest, in Florida, was 2.9 m wide, 6 m deep, and weighed nearly 3 tons.